Chapter 22: An Unexpected Reunion in a Foreign Land

A new day dawned.

According to his original schedule, Gallen was supposed to join the cast of "The Year We Graduate" in a series of promotional events these days, taking the opportunity to boost his own profile. However, as soon as he arrived at the company, Wu Chaoyang informed him that all these arrangements had been canceled.

“Huh? Why?” Gallen was taken aback and immediately thought of the heated arguments online the previous day. He couldn’t help but fume, “Brother Wu! Was this Huang Daming's doing?”

“It wasn’t him!” Wu Chaoyang waved his hand dismissively. “I was the one who canceled for you. After all, it would all be lip-syncing with them, and you’re not really familiar with the rest of their crew. You don’t blame me, do you?”

“Oh, that’s the reason!” Gallen breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t accept lip-syncing anyway, so it was just as well that Wu Chaoyang had made the call. “Not at all! Actually, at the premiere yesterday, as soon as they mentioned it would be lip-synced, I didn’t want to go on stage at all!”

“Heh, good then!” Wu Chaoyang chuckled. “By the way, there’s something else. Do you remember Ms. Fu from the investment side at the premiere yesterday?”

“Yes, I do! Fu Chunli, right? What about her?” Gallen nodded.

“Their company, All Things Cola, is currently running a nationwide roadshow. One of the singers had an emergency and had to withdraw, so they urgently need someone to fill in. Your standout performance yesterday caught Ms. Fu’s eye, and she personally recommended you to their company. Now it’s just up to you—would you be willing?”

“What does the company think?”

“No problem on our end. Consider it a good experience for you!”

“How long would I be gone for?” There were only six or seven days left until Golden Week. Gallen calculated—he didn’t want to miss meeting Chen Yingying in the capital, and there were also two music festivals he was looking forward to, both featuring a host of top domestic stars and famous underground bands from Beijing. Tickets had already sold out online.

“Just five days—ten shows in total. It might be exhausting, but they’re offering a premium: fifty thousand after taxes per show. According to your contract, you’d get thirty thousand per show. That’s three hundred thousand for ten shows—not a small sum!”

Hearing the amount, Gallen nodded enthusiastically. “Alright! No problem. When do I leave?”

Wu Chaoyang had expected Gallen to agree and grinned. “If you’re in, you leave now! I won’t be going with you. The company has assigned you an assistant who’ll handle everything for you. You can rest easy!”

“An assistant? Male or female?” Gallen asked offhandedly. The company had promised him one before, but since he hadn’t had many events, it’d been postponed again and again.

Now, finally, he had an assistant. In Gallen’s mind, that was a perk reserved for real stars!

“Heh! You’ll see soon enough!” Wu Chaoyang picked up the phone on his desk and dialed an internal extension. “Hello? Mai Le, come in please!”

“Mai Le?” Just hearing the name, Gallen couldn’t help grinning. It had to be a beautiful young woman—tall and slender, fresh-faced, probably just graduated from college.

Before long, the door was pushed open and a deep, slightly northeastern-accented male voice rang out, “Brother Wu! You called?”

Gallen turned instinctively, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

This man… could he possibly be Mai Le?

With his dark skin, burly frame, neatly trimmed stubble, and a height of at least 1.9 meters, he stood in the doorway like a tower.

Surely, he was an athlete or a bodyguard?

Wu Chaoyang nodded. “Yes, come in.”

Mai Le entered and closed the door. Spotting Gallen, he immediately extended a hand. “Gallen, hello! My name’s Mai Le. I’ll be your assistant for now. Don’t worry—with me around, nothing will happen to you!”

Temporary! Temporary! Temporary!

The important thing was worth repeating three times!

Gallen finally relaxed. Good thing it was only temporary. Having a hulking assistant like this, he certainly wouldn’t be in any danger—but perhaps that was the greatest danger in itself.

“Uh, hello,” Gallen shook his hand. “You’re sure your name’s Mai Le?”

“Yes!” To Gallen’s surprise, Mai Le seemed almost bashful. “Isn’t it a bit too feminine? I think so too. But if you call me A-Le, it doesn’t seem that way.”

“Oh! A-Le, then I’ll call you that.” Gallen forced a smile.

Wu Chaoyang clapped his hands. “Alright, A-Le, drive Gallen home so he can pack some clothes. Then come back here to pick up your tickets. Everything on the road is your responsibility! I won’t be there, so take care of him!”

“No problem!” Mai Le snapped to attention and saluted, his voice suddenly booming, startling everyone in the room.

Leaving the company, Mai Le drove Gallen back to his rented apartment. There wasn’t much to pack—just a change of clothes, his ID and wallet, which he always kept with him. The company had prepared a guitar for him.

Returning to the company to pick up their tickets, the two caught a cab straight to the airport.

Pressed for time, the company had booked them the soonest available flight. There wasn’t much choice—both were in economy, and the seats were the worst available.

But they made do. After a two-hour flight, they finally arrived at their destination—Chang’an.

All Things Cola’s roadshow in Chang’an was being held in the university district.

Gallen didn’t know his way around, so he simply followed Mai Le.

And Mai Le was up to the task. Though he was from the northeast, this wasn’t his first time in Chang’an. Having done his homework, he brought Gallen smoothly to the roadshow venue.

“Gallen!”

No sooner had they stepped out of the taxi than Gallen heard a familiar voice. He turned towards it and saw—Aya.

“Aya? What are you doing here too?” Gallen hurried over. Though he and Aya had only sung together back at the bar, he was overjoyed to meet an old friend in a strange city.

“Performing, of course!” Aya laughed. “Did the company send you too?”

“Yeah!” Gallen smiled. “So you’re here for the same reason!”

Aya nodded. “I heard from the staff this morning that a singer named Gallen would be coming. I thought it might be you, but I wasn’t sure. Turns out it really is!”

“How many days have you been on the road? How’s the bar doing now?” Gallen asked.

“I just started two days ago. I haven’t been back to the bar in ages. Since you left, the singers aren’t fixed anymore. Everyone’s got contracts, other jobs. No one can go every day. But after this, I’ll probably go back.”

Aya sounded wistful, as if her career wasn’t going well.

“Don’t overthink it, things will get better! Every big star started from humble beginnings.”

She sighed. “Maybe. I’m already twenty-five. If nothing happens this year, my journey in show business is probably over.”

“But you still have Zhao Liang, don’t you? How’s he doing lately?” Gallen teased.

Aya shook her head, her voice calm. “I don’t know. We broke up.”

She said it without any emotion, as if it wasn’t important. Gallen realized he’d misspoken and quickly apologized. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s nothing. I never thought it was a big deal anyway.” Aya smiled and then, changing the subject, said, “You’re doing well now! I saw online—you sang the theme for a TV drama, rescued someone at the premiere… overnight, all the news was about you!”

Gallen gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Not really. Part of it was luck, being in the right place at the right time, and part of it was the company’s promotion.”

“I envy your luck.” Aya sighed. “Your company gave you opportunities as soon as you joined. Ours only signs talent show contestants. There are too many of us and only so much to go around. Not everyone gets a piece of the pie, and they won’t let us break contract either.”

Gallen hadn’t expected Aya’s life to be so difficult—frustrated in her career and unlucky in love. She really was having a tough time.

Just as he was about to say something comforting, he saw Mai Le in the distance, shouting his name and lumbering over like a mountain.

“Gallen! Gallen!”

As he strode over, the ground seemed to tremble. Students on the path all stared in surprise.

“What is it?” Gallen stopped and waited for him to approach.

“They’ve scheduled us to go on last—you’re the finale. Better get ready!” Mai Le announced.

“Okay!” Gallen nodded.

The roadshow had been running since morning. On stage now was a duo—judging from their clothes and accent, they must be from Taiwan.

Seeing Mai Le, Aya asked Gallen curiously, “And who is this?”

“My assistant,” Gallen answered casually.

“What? You have an assistant now!” Aya’s tone was full of envy. “You really picked the right company. If only I hadn’t signed with Dream Starlight, even some random company would have been better!”

Realizing he’d hit a sore spot again, Gallen quickly tried to reassure her. “Don’t lose heart. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! Tomorrow will be better!”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way? Tomorrow will be better?” Aya hadn’t heard these sayings before, nor did she know Gallen had picked them up from another world’s computer.

Of course, “Tomorrow Will Be Better” was a song Gallen had heard and thought was brilliant; he’d been learning it lately, though the lyrics were long and hard to memorize.

Now, seeing Aya so downcast, a light dawned in Gallen’s eyes. In the version he knew, the song was sung by a man, a woman, and children’s voices together. Maybe, if he and Aya performed it together, it could help her career somehow.

Gazing at Aya’s troubled face, Gallen smiled. He didn’t plan to tell her yet. He’d wait until he was fully prepared and had made a demo, then surprise her with it—a way to lend an old friend a helping hand.